The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-04-01
THE SENATOR'S IN CUBA.
HOW THEY WERE RECEIVED BY
THE CAPTAIN GENERAL.

Strange Sights and Tropical Scenes-The
Way to Get to Cuba-Entering the
Harbor-Senator Palmer and the Royal
Baby-A Reception in Cuba.
. Especial Correspondence
HAVANA, Cuba, March 81.
Six hours ride from Key West lies coun-
try almost as different from the United States
as old Egypt. Cuban scenes and Cuban arch
itecture remind one somewhat OF the scenes
of the Nile, and the sky and the trees, the
houses and the people are those OF different
world than the American. Above and below
us there is blaze of bright colors, and the
palm trees and the banana harmonic with
tropical sun and the low blue sky. 1t is per-
petral summer here, and Cuba is said to be
the garden of the world. We are delighted
with the city of Havana, with its many one
and two story buildings painted in all the
colors of the rainbow, and we have fallen in
love with the narrow streets into which the
stores Of the merchants open like the booths
of a business street at Alexandria, or, as a
traveller tells me, like the shops of Canton /.
China. s**
Cuba has come much closer to us within the
last few years The long sea voyage from
New York to Havana has given place to the
fast mail route along the Atlantic coast and
the sea ride of day and night from Florida.
It is by this route that the senatorial party
has come, and it is the easiest of jumps into a
foreign world Tie railroad is as smooth as
any in the United States, the steamers OF
the Plant line are fitted out like yachts as to
comforts, and they make as fast time COM
paratively as does the railroad. We were
under the charge of Mr.. A. j. Galloway, the
travelling agent of the road, upon the Atlantic
Coast line, and the senators found him as
good as a professional courier At Jackson
vile, Mr. Fuste. a bright eyed, black mus
tached young Cuban, who is i'll the employ of
the Plant steamship line, joined the party as
its interpreter for Cuba, and thus we started
for Havana with every preparation made At
Key West, which we reached in the evening the
bearded members of the party had chance
for a shave. We found the BARRIERS all
Cuban, and the one who shaved Senator
Palmer, upon his trying to talk to him, said
"Me no talk Inglese; ME talk Spanish!" My
barber puffed cigarette while he shaved me,
and he flourished long little finger nail in
front of my eyes in such a way that it came
between me and the light, looking like an
opalescent window. Mr.. Fuste says that
there are majority of Cubans on the island
of Key West, and that of the 1900, at which
he estimates the population: 1000 are from
Cuba The Key West cigars are made by
them. %#+
We woke in sight of Havana and the sun
rose before our eyes as the Mascotte entered
the harbor. All were on deck as we steamed
by Moro Castle, the great fort which with
hoary battlements frowns upon the ships as
they enter between it and the city, and a
steam launch sent out in honor of "Vice Presi-
dent Sherman and distinguished senators of
the United States" as the Spanish papers re-
ported it, took us off to the city. Wefound in
the boat Gen. Brice, one of the congressman
elect from New York, and Mr.. Allen Thorn
dixie Rice, the editor of The North American
Review, and these gentlenaen became a
part Of our party which, upon counting,
now numbers eighteen. We were landed
in court where low, red tiled, square built
Cuban buildir ~s surrounded us, and where
at one end a shoemaker was working at his
trade in the open air. Dirty children, coffee
coiored and black, half naked, sprawled here
and there, and re-echoed the sentiments of
one of the ladies when l said: "This reminds
one of the scenes along the Chiaja at Naples. /"
And, indeed, one is reminded of Italy here at
every step. The climate is much the same as
that of Naples, the habits of the people are OF
the same open air order, and the streets are
redolent with smells which cannot be surpassed
by those of that most beautiful and dirtiest OF
the cities of Italy.
We rode in Victorias through narrow
streets to the Pistage hotel, and ate, after the
custom of the country, our first breakfast of
oranges, coffee and rolls in the little room
which serves as barroom and coffee room i'll
the Cuban hotels. There are no Hoffman
house bars in Cuba, and the gided mirrors,
the statuary and the grand paintings OF the
modern American saloon are not to be found
here The coffee rooms, where most drinks
are taken. are of the same ssyle as the French
cafe, and the customer generally sits down
and drinks at his leisure.